§ Mr. Aylesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what number of hours in each 24 a normal prisoner is required to spend in solitary confinement as a usual part of routine in the early stages of a sentence; and whether the same conditions apply to women prisoners as to men.
§ Mr. Ede:Prisoners on weekdays are normally unlocked about 6.30 a.m. and with intervals for meals are out of their 221W cells for employment and exercise until about 5 p m. but prisoners in the later stages dine in association, and prisoners of the Star class after four weeks also spend an hour in association in, the evening.
Normally, a substantial number of prisoners would also be out of their cells in the evenings for educational classes and physical training. Staff shortage during the war however has necessarily curtailed these evening activities. The 222W staff situation is rapidly improving, and evening classes are increasing, especially for young prisoners, but it will be at least a year before normal conditions can he resumed at every prison though improvement will be progressive throughout that period.
The conditions are the same for women as for men except at Holloway Prison, where owing to exceptional staffing difficulties the prisoners are locked up one hour earlier.